The hanging of wall covering material still remains an essentially manual operation which depends largely upon the skill and experience of the person performing the work. However, certain of the steps involved can and have been aided by special equipment. For example, numerous devices for applying the adhesive have been proposed as, for example, in accord with the following U.S. patents:
______________________________________ 2,352,978 Shoemaker July 4, 1944 2,496,581 Drienka February 7, 1950 2,514,238 Hesson July 4, 1950 3,054,381 Meichtry September 18, 1962 3,389,680 Moore June 25, 1968 3,924,561 Ruthart et al. December 9, 1975 4,300,471 Desjardins November 17, 1981 4,377,983 Skarsten March 29, 1983 ______________________________________
Some of the above patents suggest also some form of support or holder for the wall covering material after it has been coated with paste, as an aid in the manipulation necessary to effect skilled hanging. Some machines have also incorporated cutting devices both for cutting a covering strip to desired length after being coated (see particularly the Moore Pat. No. 3,389,680) whereas longitudinal cutting devices have also been proposed (see Drienka Pat. No. 2,496,581).
The invention disclosed in this application is, unlike the prior art, a complete machine which includes an adhesive coating station having supply roll supports, a transverse cutting station and a generally horizontal support station for the coated, cut strip which is ready for hanging and wherein such machine can be dismantled or knocked down not only to provide for ready transportation and storage but also so as to break it down into small, easily handled components which greatly facilitate washing and cleaning thereof.
The knock down feature is also important to allow the components making up the machine to be sized so that they are easily and readily placed in a convenient transport vehicle such as a stationwagon, a pickup truck or a van.
This invention relates to wall coverings and more particularly, to a portable apparatus for coating a wall covering with paste and cutting the covering at its desired length. The machine includes paste hopper applicator means and means for making a transverse cut to thereby separate a strip of wall covering ready for hanging. The paste and cut mechanisms are fixed to an articulated foldable work table generally at one end thereof. The table includes spaced side sections defining an aisle and a longitudinal center section normally biased to fill the aisle but which may be urged toward the paste and cut work area by body pressure from the waist of the operator and, as the operator walks the covering backward, the center section follows in continuous resumption of its first position to cooperate with the side sections to form a platform for supporting the coated covering strip. A switch is located on the table at the end distal the paste and cut stations to energize a motor which pulls the knife through one pass transversely across the covering material to thereby separate it from the roll. The coated and cut section of wall covering is then ready to be hung on a wall.